


Christmas at the Barton-Banners'

by AmbientMagic



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/F, GIANT PARTY ON CLINT'S ROOF, Gen, M/M, Other, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, everyone is happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2784800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbientMagic/pseuds/AmbientMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marvel RarePair gift for abschaumno1, who requested Clint/Bruce or Pepper/Natasha and Christmas with the family.  Since I firmly believe that all the Avengers consider each other family, this... kinda spiraled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas at the Barton-Banners'

It all started when Bruce realized Jennifer had nowhere to go for the holidays. She called him about once a month so they could catch up on each other's lives, and she mentioned that her boyfriend Matt didn't celebrate Christmas. "I'd come bother you, but I don't want to intrude on yours and Clint's space," she added. 

From anyone else it might have been a not-so-subtle hint, but Bruce knew she meant it. At the same time, would having a few family members over really be an intrusion? That night, he oh-so-casually mentioned the idea of a small Christmas party to Clint. "Clint, dear, put in your ears. It's not a big deal but could we host a Christmas party this year? Nothing big, just some family members, maybe a couple close friends. If you're okay with that?" 

What Bruce hadn't expected was the way Clint lit up at the question. "You mean it, babe? You wanna have a Christmas party?" Clint actually put down the arrow he'd been fiddling with and bounced to his feet. Lucky perked up an ear and opened one eye, interested. "When should we have it? Christmas Eve? That sounds good. Here, of course, or no, even better, we can go up on the roof, I bet Grills will cater--it's called catering right, when you get food for a party?--anyway, he can grill, it'll be really fun. We can do one of those gift exchange things, what are they called? White elephant? Yeah, where you steal each other's presents--of course, Natasha is way too good at stealing stuff, we'll have to give her a handicap of some sort..."

"Wow, Clint, slow down," Bruce said, slightly alarmed. "Let's take this one step at a time, okay? Make sure we have this all planned out."

"Oh, sorry." Clint wilted a bit. "It's just, I haven't had a real Christmas since... um, since I was eight maybe? From the first time I lost my hearing. After that my pops said the hearing aids cost too much for me to get presents, and well, you know the rest."

"It's been a long time since I had a real Christmas too," Bruce admitted quietly. "So I want to do this right, okay? Let's start with a guest list. Friends and family, right?"

"Okay!" Clint perked back up, picking up his arrow and using it to stir his coffee while he paced. (Bruce tried not to wince too much--it was as sanitary as the cutlery was, probably.) "Let's see. Simone and her kids, if they don't have plans. Maybe Grills and his dad? I still think we should get him to cater. I think everyone else in the building has something going on. I wish I knew what Barney was up to these days. I heaven't seen him since... We should invite Kate and Nat, of course, and they'll both want to bring their girlfriends. Is that too many?" 

"No, no, that's fine," Bruce said, scribbling everything down. "They're all great. Well, I haven't met Kate's girlfriend, but I'm sure she'll be fun."

"Yeah, she's a sweet kid. Somehow manages to out-patriotic Cap, if you can believe it." Clint perched on the edge of the table, serious for once. "If it gets to be too much, just say so. I know you don't like people as much as I do. Who do you want to invite?"

Bruce took a deep breath. "Well, I was thinking Jennifer, my cousin? She doesn't have plans. And her boyfriend, Matt. They haven't been dating long."

"He's the other lawyer, right? The blind guy?"

Bruce wrinkled his nose. "Only if you're the deaf guy," he said gently.

Clint winced. "Point taken. Who else?"

Bruce considered. "Would it be weird to invite Betty? She doesn't have anyone to celebrate with either. I know she's my ex and all, but..."

"Well, I'm inviting Natasha, and she's my ex. It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you. Can I invite Bobbi too, honey? Or are actual ex-wives too much?"

"Isn't she dating Jess now?" 

"Oooooh. Yeah, no, let's not invite Bobbi and Jess, Jess would probably murder me."

Bruce sat back and looked at the list. "This is a lot of people. Do you think we can manage planning a party this big? I really don't mind, I'd love our first Christmas together to be a big one, I'm just afraid we can't pull it all together."

Clint wiggled his phone at Bruce. "Gotcha covered, babe. I already texted Nat for backup. And she'll bring in Pepper. This party will be _perfect_."

Pepper and Natasha whisked into the apartment about half an hour later, both on their phones making orders, talking to each other, and explaining to Bruce and Clint exactly how the party was going to go all at the same time. Clint gave a happy sigh and smiled at Bruce, taking his hand. "This is going to be great."

After a good fifteen minutes of both redheads pacing around the room, taking inventory of the space and what amenities were available, the four sat down around the table to "create a plan of attack" according to Pepper. With a glance at Clint, Bruce began outlining what they had envisioned for the party. Clint was so distracted by the careful way Bruce gestured and the spark in his eyes as he discussed beverage choices with Pepper that he completely ignored the train of conversation. He caught something about a band, Natasha making disparaging remarks on the state of his kitchen (whatever it was, she was probably right), and only tuned back in when he heard the phrase "black tie."

"No, no, no! Bruce, honey, tell them I would rather show up in a purple miniskirt than wear a tie in my own home, much less a suit. This is a casual thing still, right?" Clint's alarm escalated when he saw the almost militant look in Pepper's eyes. Everything he'd heard from both Tony and Natasha said that Pepper was a force to be reckoned with, especially when it came to event planning. Still, he remained stubborn. "T-shirt or I'm greeting everyone naked."

"Clint..." Bruce wheedled. "At least wear a button down and those jeans I like, your new ones?"

"They're not comfortable!"

"But your ass looks great in them." Pepper and Natasha nodded in agreement, though Natasha seemed to be plotting to taking him shopping within an inch of his life anyway. Clint conceded the point with ill grace.

Twas the night before Christmas, and everyone in Clint's apartment building had been banned from the roof for the day, barring Grills, who was still catering. (It had taken Clint, Bruce, and Natasha working in tandem to get Pepper to agree to not fly in her personal sous chef from California--the woman did not mess around.) Somehow, this banishment extended to Clint, though not to Bruce, who was apparently trusted with supervising the decorating when Clint was not. 

"Why can't I help?" he'd asked Pepper indignantly. 

"You'd turn everything purple and blue somehow," came Natasha's response. 

"Well excuse me for that, you know they're the only colors I can see anyway," Clint muttered. 

Bruce has raised his eyebrows in surprise (apparently he didn't read all of Clint's file when Clint offered it) and Pepper murmured, "That explains _so much_."

Clint, therefore, had spent his day tinkering with different arrows (his Christmas presents to Kate, Natasha, and Bruce) and doing his best to stay out of the way. He'd noticed different people going back and forth, but didn't worry about it until an hour before the party, when Natasha arrived to shove him into clothes he definitely hadn't seen before. They were comfortable, though, and had plenty of pockets for his knives and arrowheads, so Clint did his best not to complain. 

He had to say when he arrived on the roof that Pepper, Natasha, and Bruce has outdone themselves. The entire roof was festooned in white Christmas lights, with a tree in one corner--decorated entirely in purple and blue. It was gorgeous. Grills was set up in his usual spot, flipping burgers, which one of Pepper's minions arranged fancier than Clint thought burgers could be. Chairs covered the rest of the space, and all their family was either there or arriving. 

Clint made his way through the crowd. He couldn't find Bruce, so with burger in hand and Natasha at his side, he made his way through Pepper arguing animatedly with Tony and Phil (she stopped only to give Natasha a very thorough kiss), Bobbi and Jess making out on one couch ("I thought we decided not to invite them?" he murmured. "They're here as my guests," Natasha whispered back), Kate and America cuddling on another (both offered Clint a fist bump before going back to giggling over something), and Betty Ross chatting with a man with red glasses and a statuesque green woman (must be Bruce's cousin and her beau). Simone and her kids were playing with Lucky. Everyone was here and happy, but where the futz was Bruce?

Finally, he reached the edge of the corner where Bruce had installed himself, chatting with someone sitting with his back to Clint. Natasha sidled away, and Bruce stood up, grabbing Clint's hand and pulling him down into a kiss. "Merry Christmas, Clint," he said with a small smile. It suddenly turned shy. "Um, this could be a shock, but I invited someone else to the party. We did say friends and family, after all."

Clint cocked his head in puzzlement as the man sitting down (in a wheelchair, Clint realized distantly) slowly turned around. "Hi, Clint," Barney said. He hesitantly raised his arms and signed, _Merry Christmas, brother_.

**Author's Note:**

> Oops, several of my favorite headcanons have made their appearance here, most especially the idea that Clint is colorblind. Wanna talk comics? Find my on tumblr at the same handle.


End file.
